A Thousand Miles from Home
by ShogunAssassin44
Summary: Trapped within a Time Locked dimension, Ichigo must survive in this new world in order to get back home, and with Leina's help, stop the evil that that has followed him. While a loophole has forced him to do something, that no man has ever dared to do.
1. Now I'm Alone, and Walking Away

**A Thousand Miles from Home  
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**Chapter One: Now I'm Alone, and Walking Away.**

Two men walked down a dark hallway, on their way to a control room on the other side of the hall. One was wearing a green and white bucket hat, and dark green haori. The other was wearing a white haori, and had waist length white hair.

"Have you found anymore information on his whereabouts Urahara-san?" The one with white hair asked.

"Nothing yet." The man named Urahara replied. "At least, I haven't found anything soild yet."

"What do you mean?" The white haired man asked.

Taking a breath, Urahara continued. "Ukitake-san, do you remember the combat pass you gave him, about two years ago?"

Ukitake looked toward Urahara, a look of curiosity on his face. "Yes, what about it."

"I'll explain later, but I should tell you now that this is only a theory, using the information Isshin told me, I thought up a way to find his location, but I haven't found any proof yet. I've got a small team from the twelth working on it."

"That is good news. It was such a shame to find that he just disappeared the way he did."

"True, but knowing Ichigo, he wouldn't go and do something like this of his own free will." A small smile creeping on to Urahara's face.

"I guess your right." They reached a large metal door. "After all, you do know him best." And with a small smile on Ukitake's face, the door opened.

The room was dark, the only light came from the glow of the many occupied computer screens that littered the two sides of the main walkway. At the end of the room, there was a large holographic display of numbers, charts and other pieces of data. Yet in the center of this mess of information, there was an inlarged video feed showing... Clouds?

"Urahara-taicho!" A frantic voice call out from the center console. "We found something, you need to see this!" Sharing a look of suprise, they both ran toward the person infront of the holographic screen.

"What's the situation?" Asked a concerned Urahara.

"Here." The man pointed to the on screen projection of the clouds, then enlarged a chart of data from the lower right of the screen. "These readings came in only a few seconds ago, and are still coming in!"

"Did you manage to triangulate the location?"

"No not yet, but we're working on it, but we got a live feed on the monitor." The chart zoomed out, replaced by the video feed of the clouds. Only now they could see that they were moving, and they were moving fast.

"Sir!" One of the women working on the small moniters spoke up. "We just got a fix on the location!"

"Bring it up on screen." A large, blue scale map appered in the bottom left corner of the video feed.

"Where is he?" Urahara hotly asked.

"Dimensional Sector 1702."

The room went silent.

"What." Ukitake bearly made out, eyes wided with shock.

"The situation is worse than I thought." Urahara quietly said to himself. "If we don't..."

"THAT WITCH!" Cried out a shocked Ukitake, eyes closed in disblief.

"Ukitake?" A unasked question of concern in his voice. As soon as his name was called, he quickly walked toward the door, but before he left the room, he turned his face back toward Urahara.

"I'll inform the Head Captain. Gather all the information you can, and be ready to present it the other captains in two hours."

"Understood." Replied Urahara.

With a nod of confidence, Ukitake left.

While everyone was still in shock over the reaction of the clam and fatherly captain, the head researcher, in a rather timid tone, asked Urahara the all important question.

"Urahara-taicho, what so special, about 1702?"

With all eyes on him, he spoke with a calm voice.

"Around 200 years ago, we entered a war against the angels of the realm." Everyone was shocked. They had all heard the stories, but no-one thought of them to be true. "It was brutal on both sides. Everyone suffered heavy losses, we never realised at the time that we were being played. At least until the Swamp Witch sacrficed both an angel and a soul reaper in persuit of her goals. Only then, did we realise that we were fighting the wrong person. 20 years later, and with war finished, we left the angels to watch over their world, with the promise that if they needed help, they would call."

"And what happened after that?" Urahara turned back to look at the holographic screen, upon seeing the subject's condition, his eyes narrowed, and his tone turned grave. "At this time, no-one knows how she did it, but to put it bluntly, the Swamp Witch Locked us out, and placed the dimension, under Time Lock!"

* * *

><p>He was falling. He didn't know for how long, just that he was falling. His eyes where hardly open, yet could see the sunset coloured clouds fly past his unmoving form. His black hair flaping around, behind him, creating a sound similer to that of cloth flaping in a strong wind. They were the only sounds he could hear, the only sights he could see.<p>

That was until his head hit the ground. Hard.

So much so, that as he _landed_ he created a small crater, and showered the ground around him with rocky shrapnel.

* * *

><p>Mean while, at the bottom of the mountain path.<p>

A hooded woman heard the sound of a heavy impact from somewhere on the mountain.

"Was that the demon that hunts this place?" The woman asked herself. "If so, then I must hurry."

And with that, she sped off, up the mountain path.

* * *

><p>"Urrr. My head." The man got up from the crater he made only a few moments ago.<p>

"Looks like I landed on a path of some kind." He thought to himself. Before getting up from his creator in the ground. Looking around, the sight that greeted him, was that of rock. Well, at least on the right side. On the left however...

"Oh Shit! How'd I get up here?" Was a one way trip down the side of a mountain. Getting up, he realised that he had only one option. "Well, I guess that I've got only one of two ways. Now the question is weather I go up or down? And I choose to down, and hopefuly find something quicker this way than going up." With his decision made, he started his long walk down the mountain path.

If you could call two minutes worth of walking a long time?

Just as he turned with the curved mountain path, Ichigo found that he was about to walk into a confrontation. Backing up against a fold in the rocky surface to his right, he watched the situation from a short distance away. Although, on a closer inspection of the scene before him, and with narrowed eyes, he saw the back of a hooded woman, who herself, was facing another woman who was sitting on the top of a stone archway. The woman on the archway, from what Ichigo could see from his place behind the rocks, had waist length pink hair, and what seemed to be bunny ears sitting on the top of her head.

"Are you the one who attacks travelers?" The hooded woman asked.

The pink woman gave off a light high pitched laugh. "So what if I am?"

"Then I'll defeat you!" The hooded woman replied.

"So your going to defeat me, huh?" Amusement in her voice. "Sounds fun... Then I'll give you hell!" She leaped off the archway, her sword taking shape in her right hand.

The hooded woman dodged the attack, while drawing her own sword. The two blades clashed together in a sword lock, and the two combatents made eye contact.

"Don't try to hide your face, I'll know who you are regardless." The pink haired woman said in an amused tone.

At the same time, Ichigo was having a hard time trying to figure out the hidden agenda of the pink haired woman.

_"The both of them are skilled when it comes to swords, but since they seem to be using western style weapons I can't tell how good they are." _Ichigo thought to himself, but before he could wonder any further, the pink haired woman spoke again.

"I can smell it, you're from the Vance family." They broke away, only for the hooded woman to charge forward, bringing her sword down, she sliced though the shoulder of the pink haired woman. Backing away, the scarf that covered the hooded woman's face fell apart.

Still able to speak and without spilling a drop of blood, the pink haired woman voiced her confusion.

"What, you're not Claudette?"

"My name is Leina." She replied, "And I'm a fighter by birth." Her name given, she charged toward her opponent.

Ichigo on the other hand.

"_Yup, definitely a western name, and with a name like that, comes a western fighting style I guess. Still, there seems to be something wrong here._" Ichigo thought to himself. "_The pink haired lady isn't even fighting seriously. I mean she's fast enough to have dodged that attack, but took it anyway, and she could finish this now if she wanted to. It's like she wants something, and by fighting her opponent, does she think she can get it? Then there's this Leina person. It's like, shes trying to prove herself, but to who?" _Before his thoughts wondered further, his attention was brought back to the fight at hand, by the sound of ... torn clothing?

"It's so strange." He heared the pink haired woman say. "You smell so much like Claudette, yet your not, I mean, oh come on... The real power of Claudette, The Lightning Master, is far more than that!" The woman taunted, just as the wound on her shoulder repaired it self.

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock. "_High Speed Regeneration! So thats why she didn't dodge!"_

"Ah, did I tear your clothes?" She said in a teasing tone, then she let out a light laugh of amusement.

_"Damn it! She's just being toyed with!"_ Ichigo's eyes narrowed out of concern for Leina's predicament. "_Although. Now that I can get a better look at_ her..." What Ichigo saw from behind the rocks, was a girl in her late teens of around eighteen years of age. Blonde hair, while short at the front, was midback length at the back and sides, and a pair of sapphire blue eyes. While she was positioned as if she had been pushed over, and while trying to cover her modesty with a white shirt, it was her face that Ichigo focused on. Dispite the fact that surprise was the most evident expession, she held a strong look of determination.

"What do you want?" She asked the pink haired woman.

"Victory." She said simply, as if it were the most obverse thing in the world. "To defeat strong warriors, and." She plamed her sword like it were a bat. "To take part in The Queens Blade." She said with a smile on her face.

"_What the... Queen's Blade?" _Ichigo asked himself.

"Queens Blade?" Confusion in Leina's voice.

"It has already begun." The pink haired woman stated. "It takes place every four years, and decides a new queen to be chosen."

* * *

><p>"Urahara-taicho." Said person, looked across the holographic display infront of him.<p>

"Yes, what is it?" He asked.

"What is this, Queen's Blade they're talking about? I don't think we've ever heard of anything like it."

With his grey eyes shadowed by his hat, Urahara spoke.

"The Queen's Blade, It's a coronation where the gods choose the strongest, and most beautiful queen. And who it shall be, is decided solely in battle." After seeing the reactions of the people who heard, he looked back at the holographic screen.

"Oh would you look at that." Uarhara cried out with exaggerated happyness. "An angel is on the way to see him! To bad that she's going to be late."

* * *

><p>"Come on, answer me. Clauette is meant to be the lead candidate, why do you smell like her?" The pink haired woman asked.<p>

"_Because they're sisters, how else?_" Ichigo thought dryly to himself.

"I'm going to kill you!" Leina cried!

She charged forward, only for the pink haired woman to dodge. Their positions switched, the pink haired woman unleashed her secret weapon! She stood tall, and fired... breast milk?

"_What. The. Fuck._" Ichigo's eyes had shrunk to the size of peas, and his face glowed a vibrant shade of red.

At the same time, the liquid made contact with Leina's sword. Her weapon and clothes dissolved, and she let go of the still disintegrating metal. Unfortunetly, she couldn't do the same for her clothes. Leina stood still, eyes widened in shock as her clothes dissolved, just leaving her underwear and tights intact.

"It's futile. You've lost as much as you need." The pink haired demon laughed. "Your face is so cute. You ready are weak."

"_This isn't good._" Ichigo thought to himself. his mind back on track. "_I can't just sit here and do nothing. There's got to be something I can do to help!"_

As if some higher power had just heard Ichigo's thoughts, a blade formed from the air on his side. When Ichigo saw the blade, his eyes hardened with resolve. For the blade that was standing in the ground, was a black, five foot long, nodachi long sword. A length of black chain attached to the black and red coloured hilt. The guard, in the shape of the japanese character, _Ban._ The sign? _"You fight!"_

"Thank you. Zangetsu." He said out loud, just enough for himself to hear.

However_,_ while Ichigo was gaining his resolve. Lenia with her clothes just about gone and still eger to fight, shed the only piece of clothing she had left on her torso. _  
><em>

"You're a monster!" Leina cried.

Her opponent held a blank expression, just as she moved forward. To grab Leina by the throat.

"What did you say?" She asked, as she held Leina of her feet. "Did you just call me a monster?" Leina shut her eyes to ward of the pain. "No mortal who's called me a monster has ever survived." She told Leina, just as she tighened her grip on her neck.

"Then let me be the first to do so!" A male voice cried, just as the pink haired woman felt a heavy blow to the stomach. The force of the blow, sending her flying back, and causing her to land on her back, thirty feet away.

What the pink haired woman saw, was a mass of black clothing, just as a blue arm made it's way into her stomach.

What the woman on the ledge above them saw, was a black blur literally, "_Flash_" into existance. At the same time, they landed a powerful blow on the pink haired demon.

"_Such power._" Leina thought to herself, as she watched the stranger turn their head around. "_I can feel the energy rolling of them in waves. It's like, I'm being swallowed up by their power._" Before she knew it, the oppressive energys were being washed away. Replaced by a feeling of warmth, comfort, and a feeling of protection.

"Hey. You all right?" He asked.

"Yeah, thank you." She replied. Looking up to properly see her saver, she saw a man who stood at a height about four inches taller than her, and had waist length jet black hair that seemed to spike out in a downward direction. His right arm was covered in a think layer of blue/gray bandages that extended to his upper and lower torso. In his left hand, was a long, slightly curved black sword, with a short length of black chain coming of the end. His legs were covered by a pair of ragged, torn and baggy leggings, and just like his hair, they were coloured black. His feet were covered in the same blue/gray bandages as his torso was, only they didn't cover his toes. Then there was the matter of his face, becuase she couldn't see it.

"Are you ok?" She asked him, concern in her voice.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Was his reply, but he still didn't turn his head. Growing more concered, Leina got of the ground, and quitely walked around him. What she saw, was a pair blood red eyes facing dead ahead. His mouth and nose were covered with a half mask made of the same blue/gray bandage. He had the look of someone who was trying not to do something, yet knew that not doing so was useless.

"Are you sure your alright?" She asked again. Keeping her eyes on his.

"Yeah," His eyes were locked with hers. "I'm fine." Still locked. "It's cool." His eyes started to lose eye contact. A hint of red made it's way appove the half mask. "I'm alright." His eyes when widened just as he broke eye contact. His face was glowing red, turned away from her just as his nose erupted with blood.

"Ok. What's wrong?" She asked sternly, as she folded her arms under her breasts.

Ichigo, who took one look at the sight before him, just short-circuited his mind. Upon seeing his reaction, and slightly insulted, she asked again.

"What! Is there something wrong with me?" This time in a rather aggrovated manner. Althought this time she got an answer out of him, but it was not what she was expecting.

"PLEASE, WOULD YOU JUST PUT A SHIRT ON!" Ichigo shouted in an embarrassed manner.

On the top of the ridge above them, a busty woman with wild red hair was laughing her ass off. While at he same time, Lenia who had only just begun to comprehend the meaning of his words, suddenly found herself sporting a heavy blush and a sudden need to cover herself. (From the cold.)

"PERVERT!" She shouted back at him, only to make the woman on the ledge laugh even harder.

"To think that a mortal had to cheat in order to land a hit on me like that." Ichigo's reflexes was the only thing that saved him from being cut by the pink haired woman.

Turning round to meet his opponent, while at the same time, moving his sword to his right hand, his blade met hers mid-turn.

"I take it, that you like to fight strong opponents?" He asked.

"So what if I do?" She asked back. At this point, Leina deciding that she was not liking to way this was heading, decided to stand few steps back.

"_He can't be thinking of fighting? Could he?_" She thought to herself.

"Then let me ask you something?" He asked. Swords still locked together.

"That depends on what your asking." She replied, with a slight seductive tone. Ichigo, being the romanticly dense person he is, didn't get the hidden meaning behind her tone, decided to back off. Now standing a short distance away from her, he voiced his queastion.

"What's your name?"

The pink haired woman was slightly shocked. Normally, she never needed to give her name, nor did people ask for it. Relaxing her guard, she decided to play along.

"My name is Melona." She stated.

"_The monster has a name?_" Leina thought. While on the ledge, the woman's eyes narrowed.

"No-one ever asks for each others names anymore." The woman said out loud to herself. "Only those in the east do that, but that's only for..." The words vanished from her mind, just as it dawned her. "No way!" Her eyes widened in shock.

Melona thought that this boy would be shocked to hear her name. Most simply don't even realise this, and just assume that those like herself don't have names. So she was rather suprised to see that he didn't even bat an eyelash. Insead he replied.

"Melona?" He quietly said to himself. "Since you just told me your name, It's only fair that I tell you mine." Now this got everyone's attention. Leina was wondering what this masked man was trying to do. Melona was thinking something along the lines of; _What an interesting person._ While the woman on the ledge was mentaly begging him not to do what she thought he was going to do.

"My name is Ichigo. Kurosaki Ichigo." He positioned himself into a combat stance. His sword in his right hand, his left hand balled into a fist. "And I shall be your opponent!"

**TO BE CONTINUED.**


	2. I Made It Down Alright…ish

**A Thousand Miles From Home**

**Chapter 2: I Made It Down Alright…ish**

His words hung in the air. Everyone listening could not believe their ears. This unknown person, shows up out of no-where, and challenges a known demon to a fight!

"Why?" Leina asked, for it was a question that everyone had on their minds.

"Why not?" Was his reply. Stunned by his answer, Lenia voiced her opinons.

"But, you can't just fight her, there has to be another way. If you fight her like that, you'll be killed for sure, and if that happened..."

"Leina." Ichigo interuped. "I'm not the kind of person, who can just stand by and let someone get hurt if I know that I can do something about it, and I'm not very good at talking my way out of a situation. So when I do try to talk, I end up making everything harder anyway. Besides," He turned his head round to face her. A hint of a smile under the half mask. "If there's one thing I can do, it's put up a good fight." He turned back round. "Just stand where you are. I'll finish this quickly."

Leina just stood there, rooted to the spot. A hint of red coloured her face.

"_He's going to fight, for someone he only just met? For me?" _She thought to herself.

"Now that's just cute." Melona happily spoke out. "A man, fighting for a defenceless woman, against a beautiful but powerful demon." She said in a dreamfilled tone, and a sparkly pink mist surrounded her head.

While Ichigo just sweat dropped.

"_Ok, something is very wrong here."_ He thought to himself. "_One does not simply, create pink sparkly clouds out of thin air." _

* * *

><p>"Well. This sure is turning out to be rather interesting don't you think." Urahara said to a dark skined woman. They were the only ones in the control room now. Everyone else had been asked to leave a few minutes before.<p>

"Interesting is definetly the word I would use Kisuke." A smile on the woman's face.

"Glad we can agree on that." Urahara replied, a small smile on his face. "But he's still a bit of a prude, don't you think? Yoruichi."

"She can work on that." Yoruichi said with confidence."By the way, I think the angel you were talking about is going to get there on time."

"Is she? Damn, looks like I was wrong." Urahara replied with a slight hint of mock sadness in his voice.

Yoruichi's voice became slightly serious. "But what I want to know, is how you're planning to get Ichigo out there?"

"What do you mean by that?" A confused Urahara asked.

"Kisuke." Her tone was serious. "You of all people should know that we can't just let Ichigo stay there forever. At least, not without help. Even if the dimension is under Time-Lock, there still has to be a way in. How else did he get in then?"

Urahara stayed silent. His eyes were shadowed by the darkness of the room. He took a deep breath, then spoke.

"To break though a Time-Lock." He began. "One must do one of two things. The first thing that they can try to do, is have someone on the inside deactivate it from there. Which is impossible because, Time-Lock also stops communication into an area that wasn't recieveing and sending back signals, _before_ the lock down."

Looking at Yoruichi's face, Urahara could just see the question marks floating above her head.

"In other words, the only thing capable of breaching the Time-Lock, are things that were already in place, like a communication signal. That's how we're seeing him on the moniter now."

Seeing that Yoruichi no longer had a queastioning look, he continued."The second thing that should be able to break though, is to fire a large concentration of spirit energy at the edge of the Time-Locked space. Now, this method will only blow a hole in the barrier, but it should allow someone, or something to pass into, or out of the Time-Locked space."

"And this is how Ichigo made it inside in the first place?" Yoruichi asked.

"I would have expected him to do so." Urahara replied. "As for the queastion of getting him out? Well, that is where the problem lies."

* * *

><p>"You really are an interesting person. You know that, right?" Melona said, coming out of her dream like state.<p>

"What do you mean by that?" Ichigo asked back, curiosity in his voice.

Melona let out a giggle, then spoke.

"Your not the first man to challenge me, but you are the first to challenge me with that look on your face."

"Your point is?"

"You look cute when your face looks like that. I think it suits you. Most men who try to fight me, always look pathetic. They're all scared and full of fear, it just doesn't look right on them."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed slightly, yet he said nothing, allowing her to continue.

"That's why I like to play with other girls more," Excitement was in her tone. "They just look so cute when they're clothes are torn and their face is full of fear. But you." She paused, a small smile worked it's way arcoss her face. "You are different."

"How so?" He asked. "What makes me so different from the rest you've faced?"

Her smile grew wider, she raised a hand, and pointed at his face.

"What makes you so different?" She repeated. "Your face is different."

Ichigo said nothing, yet his eyes narrowed.

"Your face lacks any kind of fear." She explained. Her smile growing almost creepy. "You should still be hiding behind those rocks, cowering in fear. Yet you stand here, ready to fight, for someone you don't even know? That's makes you different." Her smile was definetly creepy now, as it threatened to tear her face apart.

Ichigo readied his sword, knowing that she was going to charge at him any second from now. But that was before someone made themselves known.

"Late! Late! I'm going to be late!" Ichigo heard a frantic voice cry. Looking up, he saw someone flying over to the stone archway.

"I am the Great Angel Nanael!" She called out to anyone who could hear her. "Heed my voice, warrior participants of the Queen's Blade! The first battle of the tournament has already begun!"

Ichigo and the others just stared at the new arrival. She had spikey neck length light blue hair and green eyes. She was wearing a white blouse, along white dueling glove on her left arm, and steel a gauntlet on on her right. She also wore a pair of steel plate leggings. Both Ichigo and Lenia saw that her white wings were not the same length, as her right wing was shorter than the other by about twenty-four inches.

Nanael pointed her right arm in their direction, just as she spoke.

"The first battle for the Queen's Blade, is between the Infamous Protean Assassin, Melona!" She then pointed toward Ichigo. "And her challenger, from the farthest lands in the east, The Samurai Warrior, Ichi... Ichi..." She stopped, a look of confusion on her face. Just as Leina was about to ask her what she was going to say, Nanael pulled out a small book. After turning to a seemingly random page, she spoke up again.

"The Samurai Warrior, Ichigo Kurosaki!" She exclamed happily.

After a short pause, only one queastion was on everyone's mind.

"What?" As what Ichigo just said out loud. "You've got to be kidding me?"

"Now that introductions are over," Nanael cried out once more. "Gods of the Heavens, please grace us with your radiance!"

"Wait! What are you..." Just as Ichigo was about to ask Nanael what was going on, she raised her right arm into the air. At that moment, a pluse of red light shone from the ground below her.

Everyone had to cover their eyes from the intensity of the light. When the light faded, Ichigo realised that he was under a red, see-though dome.

"Now. Let the trial begin!" Nanael cried out happily. While at the same time arcoss the world, the spheres that hovered in the sky glowed red. After two seconds, the image of Ichigo and Melona having their stand off was seen in the skies. However, because Ichigo's torso was completly covered, no-one realised that Ichigo was in fact a male rather than a woman.

"But I'm not..." Before he could explain himself, he was forced to block an incoming sword. Locking their swords together again, Melona spoke.

"So your going to compete in the Queen's Blade?" Her smile slowly coming back. "I didn't even know that it was possible for a man to fight for the title?"

A grunt was his only reply.

Ichigo forced himself to back out of the sword lock. Standing a short distance away from her, he charged back into the fight. Holding his black nodochi with both hands, he lifed his sword above his head for an overhead, downward swing.

Melona, blocked the attack with both hands on her sword, held above her head. Yet she stuggled to hold her ground.

"_He's stronger than he looks_." Melona thought to herself. "_Maybe he is the one that managed to escape all those years ago_?"

Melona countered, she tried to make Ichigo to lose his grip on his sword, by forcing his blade into the ground. Ichigo's sword slid of her blade, and into the ground. However, Ichigo twisted his hands, and cut upward. At the top of the upward swing, he flowed though by sending his left fist into her chest.

Recoiling from the shock of such an impact, she was forced to block a strike from her right side.

"_Damn. This cutie is much stronger than I thought._" Melona thought. "_If I could suprise him somehow_?" Then an idea popped into her head.

Smiling to herself, she circled round Ichigo's guard. Now that she was behind him, and Ichigo was still turning to face her. She fired a stream of breast milk.

Ichigo, just catching a glimpes of Melona's actions, and knowing that he didn't what to be hit by the liquid, did the only thing he could. By pumping spirit energy into his legs, he stepped out of the line of fire.

Leina's eyes widened in shock, One second he's standing just under the archway, the next he's got his back to her while standing at only an arms length away!

"What the heck?" She said out loud.

"Sorry about that." Ichigo apologised, with turning his head round to face her. "I guess that you've never seen a _Flash Step_ before." Their eyes locked-onto each other.

"I can't say that I have." Leina replied with a shakyness in her voice. Looking into his eyes, she saw a determination unlike anything she had ever seen before. Just the intensity of the fire in his eyes, forced some colour onto her face.

What Ichigo saw in Leina's eyes, was a strong warrior willing, but unable to fight. Yet the warrior inside was being held back by fear and hesitation. But before he could look any further, Leina broke eye contact with a slight blush.

"_What's that all about_?" Ichigo asked himself.

"You may what to check on were your looking!" Melona cried.

Keeping both his hands on the grip, Ichigo turned to block an overhead strike with the flat side of his sword. Knowing that they would be fighting to close to an unarmed person, Ichigo forced Melona to back off by pushing hard against her blade.

Melona stumbled back four paces, but before she could regain her balance, Ichigo charged forward. Holding the blade with one hand, he readied a horizontal swing from his left side.

Melona was forced to jump back, away from the blade that would have cut her in half. She landed just infront of the archway. Looking up, she saw that Ichigo was still moving toward her.

Melona ran towards him, but just as Ichigo went to swing his sword. Melona jumped up and over him. Ichigo carried on moving forward till Melona almost touched the ground behind him.

He turned to face her, expecting Melona to turning to face him.

Melona readied her sword, but she don't turn round to face him. Insead she carried on moving, straight for Leina.

* * *

><p>"<em>What is he<em>?" Leina thought to herself, jus as Ichigo and Melona clashed blades. "_I've never seen anyone move so quickly_." Melona was forced back. "_And his skills with a sword_, _esaily suppass my own. He even has the demon backing away._" Melona jumped.

"Leina! Look out!" Snapping out of her thoughts, she saw Melona charge at her.

Fear took over her. She couldn't move, every instinct she had told her to run. Yet she couldn't. Her face contorted with fear, she closed her eyes and waited for the pain.

The sound of metal slicing though flesh resonated though the air.

Then, a hard grunt.

Leina's eyes widened with shock. She wasn't hurt, yet she was lying on the ground. Looking up, saw the back of the person that had taken the blow for her.

Holding his sword in a reverse grip, Ichigo swung his sword arm upward, forcing Melona to jump back again.

"Damn it" Ichigo bearly made out, just as blood sprayed out of the wound. The blow he suffered, was a long cut starting from his shoulder on the left side, running diagonally to his hip on his right.

"You..." Leina started, just as crackes began to form on the bandages that covered his torso. Two seconds after they appered, the bandages shattered. Like broken clay, the peices fell to the ground.

Ichigo, without saying a word, fell to his knees.

"What?" Nanael cried out in shock. "SHE'S A MAN!" She screamed, but Leina payed no attention. She just focused on the man that just saved her life.

"ICHIGO!" She cried. She ran towards him, catching him just as his body started to fall backwards. Lieing Ichigo on his back and setting his head on her lap, she noticed that he still had not let go of his sword.

"Damn it." Ichigo said again with his eyes closed. "And here I though that a wound like this wouldn't have effected me this badly."

"You mean, you've been though worse?" Leina asked.

Ichigo, only just realising his postion opened his eyes, only to see a pair of blue eyes looking straight in to his. Her eyes filled with concern.

"You could say that." Ichigo relied. He tried to get up, but found that he could only move his right arm. Even then, movement was slow and he could bearly find the strengh to lift his sword.

Seeing that Ichigo having trouble, Leina moved to take hold of his sword. When her hand made contact with the hilt, she was hit by a massive felling of power. She could feel the pain he was suffering, yet it was being drowned out by a massive unknown force. It was as if she see into his soul.

"Well, isn't this touching." A sarcastic voice broke Leina out of her thoughts. "The cutey has been defeated, and weakling is going to die with him." Melona laughed in delight.

Leina turned fearful.

Ichigo just grit his teeth.

Melona charged. Everything seemed to slow down, while the sound of a heart beat rang in their ears.

Just as Melona reached the half way mark, the red haired woman made herself known.

By throwing her moring star at Melona no less.

The weapon hit Melona's left shoulder, the force of the impact sending her off the side of the cliff. A second later, they saw a woman with wild red hair move infront of them.

Now that the two of them were alone, and the threat gone, Ichigo finally allowed himself to relax.

No-one saw the red dome above them fade away.

* * *

><p>"Who the hell are you?" A rather pissed Melona asked.<p>

"My name is Risty. Noble Pirate Thief" She said with pride.

"Risty." Melona's angered expersion changed to a small smile. "I will remember your name. That and the cutie's and weakling's too." Just as she finished speaking, she turned into a pile of slime, and retreated.

* * *

><p>"No, no, no this can't be happening!" Nanael panicked.<p>

"He's a male that I just entered into the Queen's Blade, but there's no way that a man could be competing for the title. Arcangel-Sama is going to send me to the underworld if she finds out about this! And a man can't enter the Queen's Blade at all, yet he... Unless?" She opened the book that she use only a few minutes ago. After finding the page that contained the information on Ichigo, her eyes widened in shock.

"No way. He's..." In the section of important information there was a passage that went like this.

**"Name**: **Ichigo (Kurosaki)  
><strong>

**Age: 17**

**Place of brith: Unknown**

**Warrior Title: The Last Samurai**

**Additional Notes: Born from one of the far eastern Samurai Tribes. Ichigo was known from early childhood to have been born, both a fighter and a protector. Growing up as one of the only male fighters in the tribe, he always strived to do the best he could. His skills with a sword became unmatched by those of similer age. Yet he never showed signs of arrogance.**

**It was noted that he saved his rival from a wolf before he was five. **

**Not much is known about him after that, as it was only a few days before the village that he lived was attacted, by the ninja clans of the north. After the attack, Ichigo went missing as his body was never found.**

**As it stands, if Ichigo is found alive, then it is to be known that he is THE LAST of his kind."**

Nanael was still in shock. The words still echoed inside her head. But that still didn't explain why he was able to fight a Queen's Blade combatent. Deciding that she needed to look into this, she opened her book again.

* * *

><p>"Are sure that you're ok?" Leina asked Ichigo, his head was still on her lap. "After all that wound looks quite deep."<p>

"I told you, I'm fine." Ichigo replied. "I've had worse, remember."

"I know." Leina looked at the wound with concern. The bleeding seemed to have slowed down, but he still needed medical attention. "Can you move?" She asked.

"Urrr, Let my try." Ichigo tried to get onto his elbows, just as a sharp stab of pain shot though his torso. Ichigo grunted as he fought against the pain in his chest.

"Ichigo, are you..." Leina didn't get to ask that was wrong. She was cut of by the sight of a black smoke energy erupt from Ichigo's chest. The energys carried a strange form of pressure, as Leina's vision started to blur.

Just as quickly as it came, the energy and pressures vanished. Leaving Ichigo unconscious, and Leina knocked out next to him.

* * *

><p><strong>TO BE CONTINUED.<strong>


End file.
